'Fleshy and gourmand, the 2018 Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru evokes peonies, rose petals, red berries, cherries and loamy soil. Full-bodied, layered and velvety, it's sumptuous and enveloping, with an ample core of pure, succulent fruit framed by lively acids and powdery tannins.
As I wrote last year, under the auspices of Claude and François de Nicolay, Domaine Chandon de Briailles is in terrific shape. Over the last decade, vinification has become more and more gentle, with no pumping during fermentation or élevage and no filtration before bottling. The wines’ tannins are correspondingly finer, and their fruit component is richer and more vibrant than was formerly the case. The grapes are seldom destemmed and new oak used sparingly, so the house style is strong, but for my money, these are among the small handful of wines that realize the true potential of the hill of Corton. The 2018s have turned out well in the rich, muscular register of the vintage, making for quite a contrast after the supple, perfumed 2017s. François de Nicolay told me—and, since I visited in the spring as well as the fall, I saw for myself—that the wines had gained in precision but also overt structure with élevage, and it will be interesting to look at them again after bottling to see if that trend continues. I'll also be heading back to the domaine this spring to look at some of the bottled 2017s—something tight timing precluded in 2019.'
94/100 William Kelley. Wine Advocate
